Now that the second Fantastic Beasts movie is finally out, every Harry Potter fan is turning their attention to the next installment. Much of Fantastic Beasts 3 is still a mystery, but there are some details and theories that have sprung up to help figure out what this new movie will be about and when we can expect it to hit theaters. So, when does Fantastic Beasts 3 come out and what do we know about the next movie? Let's break down everything coming our way in the franchise.
How does Fantastic Beasts 3 figure into the franchise?
As Harry Potter mastermind J.K. Rowling revealed when Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released in 2016, the Fantastic Beasts series will consist of exactly five movies. That means that Fantastic Beasts 3 (which does not have an official name yet) will be at the exact center of the Fantastic Beasts saga.
In terms of timeline, the third movie will likely pick up directly after the events of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, given the cliffhanger ending of that film. Since Crimes of Grindelwald is set at the end of 1927, the third movie will likely be set in 1928.
Where will Fantastic Beasts 3 take place?
Unlike the Harry Potter films, which are predominantly all set in the same area, the Fantastic Beasts movies have moved all over the world. The first movie was largely set in the United States and the second took place in Paris, France. Although we do not officially know where the next movie will be set, there is a theory that the new film could transport its character to Germany.
After she confirmed there would be five Fantastic Beasts movies, J.K. Rowling posted a tweet in which she wrote the word "five" in five different languages: "Five. Cinq. Fünf. Cinco. Cinque." Since the languages match up with the settings of the first and second movies, fans think that the remaining three films will be set in a German-speaking country, a Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking country, and an Italian-speaking country, respectively.
What will Fantastic Beasts 3 be about?
Of course, the biggest question fans have is what the new movie will be about. Plot details are obviously being closely guarded, but we have a lot of ideas about where the franchise could be headed after the ending of The Crimes of Grindelwald. Spoiler alert: Here's where you should stop reading if you haven't seen Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald yet. The end of the second movie reveals that the Obscurial Credence Barebone is actually Albus Dumbledore's never-mentioned brother Aurelius Dumbledore. We also see that Newt Scamander is able to swipe the blood oath pendant from Grindelwald which made it impossible for Dumbledore to attack is old friend.
Fans should expect Fantastic Beasts 3 to give us some backstory on Aurelius Dumbledore and explain why we have never heard of him before, and we will also likely see Albus Dumbledore trying to destroy his blood oath pendant so he can finally fight Grindelwald.
When will Fantastic Beasts 3 be released?
The next Fantastic Beasts movie is scheduled to be released in almost exactly two years, on Nov. 20, 2020.
